The report describes the practical assistance the charity has given to Edinburgh residents in 022/23
In its 40 th year, Bethany Christian Trust, a charity that began life in Leith in 1983, has brought out its annual report on what it has been doing to serve the needy people of Edinburgh in the last twelve months.
Looking back to the origins of the charity, its founder Alan Berry talked about the circumstances from which it sprang:
“I would finish preaching a sermon and get to the door and there would be a person waiting, and asking, “I need this” or “I need that” or “I have nowhere to stay”. I said to the church, we really need to do something about this. It’s absolutely hopeless. I’m preaching that we should help, and I get to the door and I’ve got no answer for people in crisis.”
Looking back to the origins of the charity, its founder Alan Berry talked about the circumstances from which it sprang:
“I would finish preaching a sermon and get to the door and there would be a person waiting, and asking, “I need this” or “I need that” or “I have nowhere to stay”. I said to the church, we really need to do something about this. It’s absolutely hopeless. I’m preaching that we should help, and I get to the door and I’ve got no answer for people in crisis.”
The report contains various stories of lives turned around by Bethany, from homelessness to drug and alcohol addiction. Some of these people are still with the charity having connected back in the 1980s. John is once such person – he first found Bethany in 1987 after a spiral into alcoholism, brought on by the death of his father. He started formally working for them in 1994 as a project worker and is close to retiring now. He says of Bethany’s approach: “What made the biggest difference was the unconditional love I received. They just listened to me for as long as I needed to bleed out pain.”
Modern stories are included too, such as Rachael’s – she was struggling financially following Covid and dropping out of university, but the practical support she got from Bethany’s Community Development Workers, like getting a new washing machine, or the socialization found in a café run by a local church, helped her to cope with these challenges.
The report concludes with a set of numbers, showing the statistical side of these stories. For instance, their Care Van handed out 11,000 meals. The ‘Rapid Re-ccomodation Centre’ hotel provided an average of 65 people per night with somewhere to sleep. Their charity shops raised £1.3 million for its work and another £2.7 million came from direct fundraising efforts.
If you want to see the full report, it can be viewed here:
https://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/annual-report-2023/
If you want to see the full report, it can be viewed here:
https://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/annual-report-2023/
